The Healthy Benefits Of A Good Cup of Tea

According to the British a good cuppa tea is the answer to many of life's problems. I've alway drunk tea, I come from a family of tea drinkers, I love tea! I started drinking tea when I was young and have continued drinking tea ever since. Little did I know that whilst I have been enjoying my cup of tea I have also been benefiting myself with one of the most beneficial drinks in history!

Legend has it that the first cup of tea came about by accident - in China a few leaves dropped or flew into a cup of hot water and the rest is history. Can you imagine the industry and empire that was built on tea came about from such a small quirk of fate?

Once tea had been discovered the Chinese quickly figured out the medicinal benefits of the drink and these were in great demand even before it became a popular drink. When tea arrived in Japan the Japanese took tea-drinking one step further and made it into an art-from with tea houses and tea ceremonies.

Tea did not arrive in the Western world until the seventeenth century and was originally advertised in Britain as a health beverage.

These claims were and are still true. Tea contains powerful antioxidants needed by our bodies to help fight harmful free radicals from damaging our healthy cells. All true teas, those made from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, are rich sources of the antioxident polyphenois.

There are many types of teas, the most popular being black tea, however, this is not necessarily the best tea. Green tea, because of its preparation, can be considered better than the black. It should be noted here that true tea does not include herbal teas which are really tisanes. Herbal teas do not contain the same amount of polyphenois as the real tea, however, they too have beneficial effects on the body when drunk.

Scientific and medical studies are being conducted on tea to ascertain the true benefits of the drink. Some of the benefits that have been accorded to tea - scientifically and non-scientifically - are that tea may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, may slow down the spread of prostrate cancer, may reduce hypertension and most importantly boost the body's defense system.

A cup of tea nowadays is far more reasonably priced than when it first appeared in the coffee-houses of England but the natural health benefits are still worth their weight in gold.

For those interested the internet contains many interesting sites on tea, both its history and benefits. For more information log on to www.essortment.com or www.2basnob.com and follow the links.

So grab your favorite cup, your favorite choice of tea, boil the kettle and sit back, relax and enjoy!

And if you are going to Britain any time soon make sure you pop into a tea shop for afternoon tea!

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